This invention relates to the production of quaternary imidazolinium agents which can be used for fabric conditioners, hair conditioners and biocides essentially free of primary and secondary amine salts.
In conventional home laundering, fabric conditioning agents are often added in the rinse cycle. The most favored type of agent has been the quaternary ammonium compounds. Additionally, imidazolinium salts have been used by themselves in the treatment of fabrics.
However, imidazolinium salts if made with polyamines can result in a final product that reacts with the aldehydes of perfume to decrease the effectiveness of that additive.
Generally, the manufacture of imidazolinium compounds involves the reaction of polyamines with an acyl compound or ester to form an imidazoline which is subsequently quaternized. In forming the original imidazoline, primary and secondary amines remain. During the subsequent quaternization step, these amines cause some of the imidazoline compound to form imidazoline amine rather than the salt. The imidazoline salt, when present in an aqueous medium having a near neutral or higher pH, is capable of undergoing ring opening to form free amines that can react with aldehydes. While the undesirable amines can be capped, it has now been found that an imidazoline quaternary compound can be made that does not require capping.